Ask John: What is Cosplay?

Question:
What does “cosplay” mean?

Answer:
“Cosplay” is the Japanese abbreviation for “costume play.” In Japan, the word “cosplay” simply means dressing up in a costume. Most of the time this involves dressing up as a favorite anime or manga character, but “cosplay” also refers to simply wearing a nurse outfit or police uniform or Shinto priestess robes or French maid outfit, or any sort of uniform or costume, not necessarily one anime or manga related. For Japanese natives, “cosplay” is simply wearing any sort of costume or uniform for entertainment purposes, including, but not limited to waitresses in Akihabara “maid cafes” that wear French maid outfits for the benefit of customers, fans at anime conventions or anime movie premiers dressing up for fun, and adult video actresses wearing anime costumes to make porno videos for otaku.

In America, there are small segments of the fan community that have altered and Westernized the word “cosplay” by dividing it into “cosplay” and “costuming”: “cosplay” literally referring to costume wearing fans that perform plays or skits on stage at conventions, and “costuming” referring to fans that simply make or wear anime or manga related costumes.